Forget BMI, Look for 'Overfat' as Real Health Risk (CNN)

Height and weight alone misses many with unhealthy levels of body fat

Obscured by preoccupation with body mass index (BMI), excess body fat may pose a health threat even for people who don't meet the usual definitions of obesity, according to CNN.

A recent study published in Frontiers in Public Health indicated that BMI-based obesity measures may miss as many as 50% of people who are "overfat" -- dangerously high levels of body fat despite a BMI in the normal range. Abdominal fat is a particular health risk, extending deep into the body and encasing essential organs such as the liver.

Waist circumference is a better measure of unhealthy fat, according to experts interviewed by CNN.